Mexican Chopped Salad with a Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Being that we’re having summer weather here in south Florida we’re well into our salads. All my friends who grew up here are salad people, obsessed with cold, crunchy, live food. Weekends and summers found us on the beach. Junior and senior years of high school we spent at the club, that would be Dana, Andrea and me, lounging in the pool, playing tennis or catching rays. All our plans were created there…whether it be a date, outfit or college. Someone in our group, never us but somebody, always had a boom box blaring with the 70’s sounds of Doobie Brothers, Earth, Wind and Fire or Stevie Wonder that made us so happy. We all knew they were good, good days. We loved the waves rolling in the background. We loved the ever so slight breeze which cooled the droplets of pool water running down our flat, toned tummies and lean, tanned legs. We took delight in the smooth coral stone under our feet after burning up on the beach. The in our dangerously low-cut black maillots, the three of strolled about the pool and beach as though we owned the place. It was home to us and we were always welcomed. We charged little dinner salads for lunch and chased them down with enormous iced coffees laced with half and half and who knows how many packets of Sweet’N Low. Late in the day we moved our lounge chairs into the shade, under clusters palm trees set in islands of grass. They were easy days. Pretty and safe days. Certainly not days that would prepare us for the hard knocks and bumps of life which we’ve all felt! But I know this trio thoroughly embraced these times. We each cried over different boys or our parents. We danced on the beach as though no one was watching, and quite frankly, no one was. And laugh. My goodness! A laugh a minute. Even if we had to stoop to cheap humor by grabbing one of Dana’s majestic boobs and hollerin’, “Titty!” while leaping into the pool. None of us remember not knowing one another, that’s how long we’ve been the closest of friends. In all those years we’ve shared umpteen sleepovers and girl’s weekends and although the iced coffees have been upgraded to tequila we still go crazy over our salads. Crispy, ambrosial and what we want.

This is the perfect salad if you have a couple of leftover ears of grilled corn. We throw a few extra ears on the grill so as to have this salad the following day. The recipe for this salad is just a guideline. Add more or less of any ingredient depending on your taste. If you’re not up to making your own tortilla strips, merely crumble a few tortilla chips over the salad right before serving. I also serve this salad with grilled shrimp or fish on top as well as grilled boneless chicken breasts. It’s delicious as a wilted salad, too. Any all ready mixed, leftover salad topped with fresh tortilla strips or chips is fabulous. Stay cool!